An apologetic treatment of the Penitentes, more properly the Brothers of Our Father Jesus. Author Marta Weigle explains the origin of the Penitentes as a result of the essential abandonment of New Mexico by Hispanic clergy during the later part of the 18th and early part of the 19th century; as a result, people began practicing their own brand of Catholicism, based on some observances of the Franciscan order. At their most flagrant, the Penitentes publicly whipped themselves and each other, carried crosses, dragged a heavy cart with a skeletal figure of Death on it, and held mock crucifixions; however the most dramatic episodes were limited to Holy Week and the rest of the year the Penitentes were a charitable organization. Weigle notes that the degree of physical self-punishment involved was usually exaggerated by unsympathetic Anglo Protestant observers, with various rumors of Penitente “moradas” (meeting halls – although a morada usually has an altar it isn’t a consecrated church) splashed with blood up to waist level, women being whipped as well as men, and Penitentes actually nailed to crosses rather than being tied on; none of the accusations has ever been confirmed. Weigle does acknowledge that it’s very difficult to get a New Mexico jury to convict a known Penitente of any crime, but also notes that if a brother is actually guilty of something that becomes known to his fellow Penitentes the punishment inflicted is considerably more gruesome than anything the formal judicial system can inflict and a jury conviction is therefore considered “double jeopardy”. She also observes that with increasing popularity of Spanish Colonial folk art, Penitente moradas were frequently robbed – ironically easy, since they are often located in isolated areas to avoid curious outsiders.
The end matter includes a letter from the Hermano Mayor Arzobispal of the Penitentes (as of 1975, when the book was published) noting that Dr. Weigle was the only writer on the Penitentes who had ever submitted a manuscript to them before publication; some changes and additions were suggested but the book was not “endorsed” by the Penitentes.
A scholarly text, not a light read. It helps if you are familiar with Catholic terminology and have some Spanish. Illustrations of morados, “maderos” (crosses), and a Death Cart. Many appendices mostly episcopal letters from various Church officials concerning the Penitentes; endnotes, a bibliography, and a good index. For some more New Mexican religious customs, see New Mexico Death Rituals. ( )